


Skin

by thelogicalloganipus (awkwardkermitfrog)



Category: Sanders Sides
Genre: Gen, Spooky, Taxidermy, i dunno, this is like my worse fear
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-24
Updated: 2018-01-24
Packaged: 2019-03-08 21:38:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13467072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awkwardkermitfrog/pseuds/thelogicalloganipus
Summary: Okay... so I kind of have a fear... as you'll see here. I debated what character to write this for - for this or my other fandom - but honestly this just felt like a Logan story.I don't really think this fic needs warnings, but there is a lot of taxidermy, so if that's something you don't like just... I guess that's your warning.Taxidermy is something I am both fascinated by and terrified of. I think you'll see why here.Enjoy.





	Skin

Glass.

It stared back at him through the windows of the room, hollow husks of creatures where eyes used to be, replaced with materials to keep the things from rotting and leaving empty shells behind. Wire frames fitted with furs, skins, and feathers were all around the room, decorating the walls from floor to ceiling. The room was not quite large enough to house all of the animals within which made it seem excessively cramped to Logan, who stared eye to eye with a moose head, its massive head protruding from the walls at precisely his height. The fur was old and dusty, the creatures untouched for years and years, preserved perfectly so as to avoid decay. Different chemicals, such as mercury and other tanning chemicals, blended into the skin of the animals in order to keep them pristine, just like new. Frozen forever.

Logan walked forward, toward the door of the room, a large glass door with wood around its edges, and rested his hand on the handle. In his other hand was a preserved crow, a model for a project he’d been allowed to borrow. He turned the handle gently, then put it back. He turned and looked at the clock on the university wall, which ticked gently in the background. The professor who was to meet him was fifteen minutes late, and it was getting later. He looked back at the door, at all the animals inside.

It wouldn’t hurt to just drop the animal off inside, set it on a shelf, or perhaps on a display case of some kind. It was only a room full of animals. Lifelike animals, but preserved animals nonetheless. 

“Nothing to be afraid of.” Logan whispered to himself as he turned the handle and gently opened the door, which opened to the most open area of the room. “Nothing to be afraid of.” He repeated, staring at the different eyes, watching, looking from eye to eye, following each around the room.

He set the crow down gently next to a wall, below another bird, turning as he stood up to look at the moose. Below it was a mountain lion he had not previously noticed. He walked over, gently edging around tables with glass displays of smaller animals and animals in the floor, looking it right its large golden eyes, and stared again. 

The silence in the room was heavy. Unsettling. He stood up, heart beating a little quickly, and shook his head at his own silliness. 

“Nothing to be afraid of.” He whispered again, unable to bring himself to disturb the quiet. He looked at the again, above the mountain lion, and smiled a little. “Nothing to be afraid… of.”

He hesitated.

He blinked.

The moose’s head, which had been leaning towards the glass when he was outside the room, now appeared to be leaning towards him. 

But no. No, that was impossible.

“Nothing to be afraid of.” Logan said again, this time not even a whisper. He turned, slowly, breathing shaky, away from the moose, looking instead at the birds on the walls, the different cats, a bear in the corner… all had been looking straight ahead before. 

Logan couldn’t quite tell. He couldn’t quite be sure. It was the slightest of tilts, the smallest of leans. It was nearly imperceptible, nearly invisible. 

And yet. And  _ yet _ . 

And yet their eyes were on him, more than before, looking at him, examining him, observing him.

He felt frozen, breathing quickly as quietly as he was able, staring into their eyes in turn, not wanting to look but unable to look away. He looked down at a display case, which held the skin of a leopard and four baby crocodiles around its edges, covered in years of dust, holding glass orbs up to no one. He looked at each of them in turn and could have sworn that the ones in the back corners, the ones looking away, were turned towards him ever so slightly. 

He looked towards the door, glancing again at the bear behind him, and nearly stopped breathing. He was sure this time. This time the bear was definitely facing him, definitely looking at him directly. 

He looked at the mountain lion - it too was definitely turned now. It too was looking towards him, it too was moving towards him. 

“There’s nothing to be afraid of.” He muttered, backing towards the door, trying to keep his eyes on everything at once. 

He looked over and saw a raven, head pointed straight at him, wings just above to spread, and then at another bird, ready to move overhead. He stopped and did not dare move, did not dare shake his head, as he looked again at the bear.

The bear was crouched, halfway down, halfway towards advancing, halfway towards moving onto him. 

“You’re dreaming. This is a dream.” He breathed. “You’re dreaming.”

He took a step backwards and glanced at the mountain lion, at the cranes near the ceiling, at the tiny crocodiles in the glass table, where the glass had the slightest of cracks, the slightest of breaks. 

“Dreaming. Nightmare, this is a nightmare.” Logan nodded, sure of it, barely daring to whisper. His heart rammed against his ribs, his hands didn’t dare to tremble, as he took another step backwards. He looked again at the bear, which was now frozen in movement towards him, lugging its gigantic body nearer, looking hungry. He wondered - when was the last time it ate? - before pushing back the thought, stepping again towards the door, a little further. He felt his heart catch in his throat as he looked around the room as q uickly as he could, eyes darting from beast to beast, hands numb. 

Logan looked at the bear again, which was now right by his knee. Its nose rested there, just touching his jeans, just waiting, just hoping he’d look away. 

He reached behind himself blindly, reaching for the door handle, groping, feeling but finding nothing, staring at the bear, trying to look everywhere at once, inching his leg away from it. It wasn’t there, it was too far away. He continued to look at the bear, trying to not even blink, observing its powerful jaws and large, yellow teeth, its black eyes, glossy, ready to move again at any moment. 

Logan forgot about the impossibility of the situation and in one desperate motion he turned and lunged for the door. 

 

* * *

  
  
  


“And here we have our taxidermy collection, something the university prizes itself on keeping up… some of the animals in here are very old, though, so please don’t touch anything.” A woman in a red dress said as she opened a set of large glass doors, letting in a group of prospective students file in. They all walked close together, bumping off each other, intimidated by the room’s closeness and general atmosphere.

“Creepy.” One young man muttered, tilting his head to the side, staring at a large bear. It was poised in an attack position, as if ready to pounce. “I bet this thing was asleep when someone killed it.”

“It’s weird, but kind of fascinating.” Another walked behind him and whispered. He looked up at the bear thoughtfully. “But you’re probably right.” He turned, looking for the other member of their friend group, spotting him quickly by some birds. He walked over, squeezing around students, and clapped him on the back. “Find anything interesting?”

“This is beautiful.” The student muttered, pushing his glasses up his nose. “Magpies are really intelligent, and it looks like they just acquired it last week. It’s just really interesting.  _ ‘Pica pica. Adult male. Acquired on January 15th, 2018, a donation to the collection’. _ Neat.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for my very weird brain. Or if you liked it, not sorry?


End file.
